Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has expressed appreciation toward those that helped identify sources of air pollution in the capital.
The governor recently invited a group of eight individuals to lunch at the Bangkok City Hall to thank them for providing vital intelligence on the sources of PM2.5 in the city. This information was provided through the city’s online Traffy Fondue platform.
The group was lauded by Chatchart as ‘active citizens’ who helped the city combat pollution at its source. He also expressed surprise that so many people were using the ‘Traffy Fondue’ application to contact authorities despite the platform’s launch issues.
Following its launch on January 16, the platform received an overwhelming response from the public, with over 220,000 complaints having been posted on the platform. Reports suggest that the information provided by citizens included the burning of garbage in Nong Chok district, public buses emitting black smoke in Thonburi, and misreporting by air-quality monitoring stations in several districts.
Traffy Fondue is also equipped with a feature that allows it to forward complaints about issues that are not under its purview to related agencies in each district.
In response to the complaints, black-smoke traffic checkpoints were reportedly set up, and air-quality monitoring stations were recalibrated for accuracy. Officials claimed that out of the 220,000 complaints, 180,000 have already been addressed. (NNT)
